AF1 Expansion 2026: Ohio. Where could the AF1 be headed?
- offthewallfbpod
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Following up on the recent blog for Michigan, Ohio is also slated to get an AF1 expansion team for the 2026 season. Just like Michigan, the Buckeye State has also had a long and complicated history with arena football:
List of Ohio AFL teams, per ArenaFan:
Columbus Destroyers - 2004-2008, 2019
Columbus Thunderbolts - 1991
Cleveland Gladiators - 2008, 2010-2017
Cleveland Thunderbolts - 1992-1994
Cincinnati Rockers - 1992-1993
The IFL was also supposed to have an expansion team in Columbus, the Columbus Wilddogs, but that has since fizzled out and they have quietly closed the book on the possibility of that happening. Ohio is the 7th most populous state in the United States, and there is a history of long running professional sports teams throughout the state -- with multiple college football programs peppered throughout the state as well.
The state loves them some football and the Cleveland Gladiators had a good run in the 2010s, so it's a viable option. Where could we see the AF1 potentially land for 2026?
Could we see a revival of a team from the past? Do we see a brand new team?Â
Let's talk about it.
Columbus, OH - Population 913,175
When looking through the most populous cities in Ohio, it is STAGGERING how much high Columbus is than both Cleveland & Cincinnati. Columbus is home of the state capital, is the 14th most populous city in the entire country and is currently home to two pro sports teams (NHL's Columbus Destroyers & MLS's Columbus Crew).
But the real creme de la creme in Columbus is the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the past, the Columbus Destroyers really leaned into the Ohio State connection anywhere they could with staff & players that were former Buckeyes, which makes sense to an extent. You want to lean in and use that as a tool to build up excitement and market it to the masses, but you also don't want to use it as a crutch either.
I could see them returning to Columbus, but similar to what was mentioned in the Michigan blog -- you gotta cautious about going to a city that is so big. Upstart arena teams in cities with multiple pro sports teams often have a hard time breaking through the noise and finding a lane for themselves.
They have the facilities for it, but is the demand for an arena football team there? Had the entire league not folded in 2019, would they have gone on for much longer?
The optimist in me says "possibly", but the whole 'piece of the pie vs being THE pie' looms large in my brain when thinking about Columbus.
Cleveland, OH - Population 362,656
Ah, yes. Cleveland, Ohio. Former home of the Cleveland Gladiators and the current home of the Factory of Sadness - aka Huntington Bank Field:
Similar to Columbus, Cleveland is also home to multiple pro sports teams (NFL's Cleveland Browns, NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, MLB's Cleveland Guardians) -- so it is another crowded marketplace that the AF1 would be entering.
Cleveland does have the deepest connection to arena football with the stint that the Gladiators had in the 2010s when Dan Gilbert (who owns the Cavaliers and operates Rocket Arena in Cleveland, home of the Cavs & the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL) owned the team.
You would think that Rocket Arena would be the arena of choice for this, but the spring time is already a pretty busy time of year for the venue with the Cavs, Monsters & a sprinkling of concerts happening. Not impossible schedule-wise, but just something to consider when looking at things from a macro level.
Wouldn't surprise me to see Cleveland, but you would hope that Dan Gilbert is involved due to his connections with the arena for the easiest relationship possible.
Cincinnati, OH - Population 311,097
Fun fact: Did you know that the Cincinnati International airport is in Kentucky? Anyways, Cincinnati, huh? The AFL had a cup of coffee in Cincinnati in the early '90s with the Cincinnati Rockers - a team that was destined to fail and had one of the most interesting controversies you can find in minor league sports. I also found a cool Rockers hat on eBay:
Cincinnati would be an interesting market. It is sneaky close to Nashville (~4 hour drive) and would make for a great regional partner for the Nashville Kats. As it would with any decision, it would depend on the partners that get involved for this to make sense. It's already being rumored that this is the spot, with another team in the league potential relocating TO Cincy instead of starting from scratch.
With it being an NFL town, does Jeff Fisher go into his network of former Bengals players & coaches to help solidify things and get it going there?
Cincinnati would be a great geographic fit, and I'm sure Heritage Bank Center wouldn't mind a recurring tenant. Do they go the route of partnering with the ECHL team in town (Cincinnati Cyclones) to get things going at Heritage Bank Center along the Ohio River?
Cincinnati kinda makes sense on paper all things considered.
Toledo, OH - Population 265,304
This is one that has caught the arena football community by storm over the past year or so, when the Toledo Walleye introduced a specialty jersey that was tipping the cap to the af2 that never was.
In short, the Toledo Bullfrogs were an af2 team that was set to start play in 2010, but never took the field due to the AFL folding and some of the downstream effects from that that impacted af2.
But the Toledo Walleye have always kept the Bullfrogs fresh in people's minds -- and have been a pipe dream for arena ball fans ever since they released what the jerseys 'would have been' if the Bullfrogs came to life.
Not gonna lie, it looks sick and would be an instant merch purchase for the folks here at Off The Wall. But it seems like in order for it to work, it would have to be in partnership with the Walleye, which I am sure they wouldn't be opposed to.
They have kept the memory of the Bullfrogs alive for years now... could that have been by design? Toledo is a city that is bigger than you would think and is home to multiple minor league teams and the University of Toledo. It seems like a market where arena football could thrive under the right circumstances.
But again, it all comes down to partners and ownership groups.
Akron, OH - Population 188,701
Rumors have been swirling about the UFL potentially going to nearby Canton over that past year or so, which kinda makes sense in that it would be Cleveland adjacent without being fully Cleveland while in a place that is historic in the world of professional football.
While it is a smaller city, to me this one might make a little more sense than Cleveland in terms of a market for an arena team.
The biggest question would be venue, because based on my 60 seconds of research it looks like the only arena in town is where the Akron Zips college teams play -- which may result in a busy arena schedule as it is.
Akron may be better suited for the outdoor game than the arena game, but it is one of note to watch based on proximity.
Akron to Wheeling - less than 2 hours
Akron to Pittsburgh - less than 2 hours
Akron to Cincinnati - less than 4 hours
While only one of those has an arena team (at the moment), the placement of Akron could be instrumental in future expansions and inter-league movement. Just saying!
Dayton, OH - Population 135,512
I put this last one on here as a flyer (hehe pun fully intended) because it meets the small market narrative I've been pushing with these potential expansion teams.
Dayton doesn't have much going on sports wise outside of Dayton University & Wright State University, and could be a prime candidate for an arena football team. They have a history of minor league sports teams being successful in the past and it could potentially work here as well (again with the right partners in place).
I don't really have any funny quips for Dayton here (other than the flyer pun) other than the potential venue being named the Nutter Center.